Adjustable wrench



.'Nov. 19, l929.

L.. T. CRABBE. 1,736,696

ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Filed Deo. 29. 1927 Patented Nov. 19, 1929 UNITEDSTATES mata PATENT ,OFFECE LINDSAY THORNE CRABBE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR TO PHOENIX-HERMETIC COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, LLllll'OS, ACORPORATION' OF NEW YORK ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Application filed December29, 1927.

This invention relates to wrenches, and more particularly to device otthis type which are capable of adjustment and locking in adjustedpositions.

Many kinds of adjustable wrenches nave heretofore been proposed, butaccording to the present invention a construction is presented in whichtwo major parts are employed, and these may be cheaply and quicklymanufactured by punching and drop torging operations. The device isadapted tor use for the removal of screw caps from glass ars, as a pipewrench, or tor other and similar purposes.

The device is illustrated in two terms ot construction on theaccompanying drawing by way of example, but it will be understood thatthe illustrated forms are not limitations upon the employment of theinvention.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View ot an adjustable wrench according to thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 ot Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan vie: ot a modified form of the wrench.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 ot Fig. 3.

On these drawings, in Figs. 1 and 2 is shown a wrench made ot only threeparts. The firstmember comprises a handle 10. a jaw member 11 which isformed integrally with the handle 10, and a sector 12 having the teeth13 thereon arranged concentrically about a stop member 14, which in theconstruction shown is a rivet passed through the rst member 10, 11, 12.A bottle top remover is formed on this first member by cutting it awayto form a notch 15 with the litting finger 16.

The second member includesI the movable jaw 17 having an adjustingportion 18 formed integrally therewith. The adjusting portion at the endopposite the jaw 17 has an L-shaped slot 19, one leg of the L extendingsubstantially parallel to the direction ot the length of the jaw 17,while the other leg of the L is substantially at right angles thereto,and directed away trom the stationary jaw 11. The third member or stop14 passes through this slot and has an enlarged head to prevent thewithdrawal of the movable Serial No. 243,342'.

iody 17 and its adjusting portion 18 from assembly with the first member10, 11, 12. t is preferred to have the movable jaw 17 proper offset fromthe adj usting portion 18, so that it is in the plane of the fixed jaw11. Between the jaw 17 and the slot 19 the adjusting portion is providedwith a dog 2O which is formed from its material and is punched out otthe plane of the adjusting portion, and is at such a position that whenthe stop 14 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, this dog 20 is engagedbetween teeth 13 ot the sector 12: while it the stop 14 is at the otherend ot the slot 19, the dog 2O is tree ot' all of the teeth 13. The endof the dog 2O is an extension 21 which :tits against the surface ot thetooth sector 12 and thus cooperates with the enlarged head of the stop14 in holding the blades in the same plane.

The method of employment and adjustnient ot this device is as follows:By pressing upward on the outer end of the movable jaw 17', (Fig. 1)this jaw and its adjusting portion 18 is rocked counterclockwisesubstantially about an aXis formed by the dog 20, whereby a relativemovement of the stop and l.-shaped slot occurs so that the movable j awmay be slid lengthwise toward the right in F ig. 1, thus t'reeing thedog 2O from the teeth 13. The movable jaw 17 is now 'free to rock ineither direction about the stop 14 as a pivot so that it may be adjustedwith respect to the lined jaw 11. l-Vhen a desired adjustment has beenobtained, the movable jaw 17 is again slid toward the lett in Fig. 1,and its dog 2O is engaged between two of the teeth A clockwise movementot the movable jaw 17 will now bring the l.-shaped slot and stop 14again to the position shown in Fig. 1. It will be noted that thepressure ot' an article being gripped between the jaws 11, 17 will beexert-ed about the dog 2O as a tulcrum to retain the stop 14 in theindicated position.

ln the modified form of Figs. 3 and 4 the iandle 10, tixed jaw 11,sector 12 and teeth 13 are the same as before, andthe movable 17 againhas the adjusting portion 18 with the slot 19 to engage the stop 14.rllhe dog here provided is a rivet 30 secured in Ill) the adjustingportion 18 of the movable jaw, having a square shank 31 and an enlargedhead 32. This square shank 31 engages between the teeth 13 of the sector12 as before, andthe enlarged head 32 cooperates with the step 14 tohold the movable jaw and fixed jaw in the same plane during operation.The operation of this modified form is the same as that describedheretofore.

vIn each of these Vforms of execution the dog 2O and the stop 14: arespaced away from each other so that a long leverage Vis allorded toresist pressure against the movable jaw 14, so that a light and strongwrench may be made from relatively thin material.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to the illustrativeform, but `that it may be modified in many ways within the scope of theappended claims.

That is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the class described, a first member having a handle, astationary jaw and a toothed sector; a second member having ak movablejaw and an adjusting portion and a dog ofset from the plane of saidadjusting portion, said adjusting portion having an L-shaped slottherein; and a stop mem ber on said first member to engage in said slot;so that when said second member is moved until the stop is at one end ofsaid slot, the dog is disengaged from the teeth ot said sector and themovable jaw may be moved toward or from the stationary jaw; and so thatwhen the second member is moved until the stop is at the other end ofsaid slot, the dog is engaged between teeth of said sector and the jawsare held rigid with respect to each other and the second member isprevented from movement during use.

2. A device of the class described and as set forth in claim 1, in whichthe L-shaped slot has its lateral extension ,directed away from thestationary jaw, so that the pressure of an article against the movablejaw and acting about the said dog as a fulcrum will retain the stop atthe last mentioned end of said slot.

In testimony whereof, I ai'HX my signature.

LINDSAY THORNE CRABBE.

